Foresight for small-arms.



33-243. OR 19043a678 5R R. DE BERTOUGH.

FORESIGHT FOR SMALL ARMS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 8, 1911.

1,043,678. Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

WITNESSES INVENTOR.

Rude [F de Ber'fouch 2W BY XW Q W ATTORNEYS RUDOLF DE BERTOUCH, 0F KENSINGTON, LONDON, ENGLAND.

FORESIGHT FOR SMALL-ARMS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 8, 1911.

Patented Nov. 5, 1912.

Serial No. 664,533.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BARON RUDoLr DE BERroUoH, a subject of the King of Denmark, and resident of 27 Scarsdale Villas, Kensington, London, S. England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Foresights for Small-Arms, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to fore-sights for fire-arms of all kinds and has for its object to obviate the difficulty which the user of a rifle, pistol or like weapon often experiences in distinguishing the fore-sight, especially when firing rapidly or under unfavorable conditions as regards sighting. In order to overcome this difficult, I employ, in combination with the fore-sight, a pair of lateral wings which in addition to serving the usual function of shielding the fore-sight and assisting the marksman in estimating in the lateral direction the position of the foresight when the latter for any reason is not clearly visible, also enable the position of the fore-sight in the vertical direction to be estimated so that not only the proper direction but also the proper elevation may be given to the weapon. For this purpose the wings which are curved toward one another, are symmetrically disposed about a longitudinal axis coincident with the sighting line of the weapon (and therefore usually intersecting the upper extremity of the foresight), while their rear edges are sloped upwardly and forwardly so as both to lie in a single plane inclined at an angle of about 45 to the axis of the barrel, the center of the figure thus presented to the eye by the two wings representing the position of the fore-sight notwithstanding that the latter may be invisible.

The fore-sight itself preferably has its rear-face undercut throughout its entire height at a somewhat acute angle so that this face being constantly in shadow will appear dark against any lighter background.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the muzzle-portion of a rifle-barrel to which the invention is applied, the wing on the near side being removed. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing only the wing on the near side. Fig. 3 is a cross-section on line 3-8 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4 shows a plan view of the parts.

The fore-sight A has its rear-face a undercut so as to extend upward and rearward at a somewhat acute angle as indicated, the

undercut surface being thus in shadow so as, by being prevented from reflecting any appreciable amount of light to the eye of the marksman, to appear dark to the latter.

The wings B, B which inclose the foresight A laterally, are curved so as to be inwardly concave, while their inner surfaces 6, b, which at all levels should be parallel to one another, are symmetrically disposed about a longitudinal axis which intersects the acute upper rear point 0 of the foresight A so as to be coincident with the sighting line of the weapon.

The rear edge (Z of each wing B slopes upward and forward so as both to lie in a single plane as indicated, and is rendered bright (as for example by a facing of frosted aluminium or the like) so as to reflect all available light to the eye of the marksman.

lVith the arrangement described, it will be evident that whereas on the one hand the fore-sight A will stand out very distinctly against a relatively light-colored background, on the other hand, in a dim or failing light when distant objects may tend to appear so dark as to obscure the foresight itself, the comparative and uniform brightness of the rear edges d, (Z of the wings B will enable the marksman to estimate, with a near approach to accuracy, the true position of the point 0 of the foresight as regards not only direction but also elevation, the position of the point 0 being coincident with the center of the figure presented by the wlngs.

Precise definition of the point 0 will be assisted by sloping the upper edge e of the foresight forward and downward as indicated.

The wings B, B may be formed integrally with a band f fitted to embrace and pass around the lower side of the gun-barrel G, the band being securely clamped about the barrel by means of a transverse screw in passing through both wings and through a block J serving to carry the fore-sight A.

In order to avoid obscuring the marksmans View of the fore-sight, the upper surface of the block J is preferably beveled toward its rear end as indicated at j.

For the purpose of accentuating the contrast between the darkened surface a of the foresight and the bright surfaces d, d of the wings, all the surfaces of the fore-sight itself and of the block J, as Well as the inner surfaces 6, b of the Wings, should be left ner surfaces of the Wings being dull or dull blackenedw/x lg a eged and the inclined edges thereof 10 Olai rn nw brightened to form reflecting surfaces. -Th' combination of a non-reflecting forev RUDOLF DE BERTOUGH sight, and Wings, one on each side of the fore-sight, the Wings being curved toward Witnesses:

each other and having their rear edges in- HERBERT D. JAMEsoN, clined downwardly and rearwardly, the in- C. P. LIDDoN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

